Worth the trip: Dolce Suono performs next week in Dover

Tuesday

Feb 5, 2013 at 4:40 PMFeb 5, 2013 at 5:01 PM

A critically acclaimed chamber music ensemble will debut its signature sound in Dover next week. Opportunities to see musicians like Dolce Suono don't come around often, making the event worth the trip.

Christine Miller, arts & entertainment

Dolce Suono, a highly acclaimed chamber music ensemble will stop in Dover next week for a rare local performance at the Schwartz Center for the Arts in Dover. The concert is a part of Wesley College's 2013 performance schedule, which features compelling films, musical theater and an array of vocal and instrumental concerts.

Dr. James Wilson, Wesley College assistant professor of music, is excited about next week's performance.

"We are lucky to have them in Dover," Wilson said. "Many of the venues they play are top tier."

Here are a few things to know before you go.

1. A Renaissance woman runs the show

Running the show, on and off the stage is world renowned flutist Mimi Stillman. A Yamaha Performing Artist, she wins over critics with a combination of innate artistry and technical brilliance.

Stillman founded Dolce Suono in 2005, and under her direction the group has gone on to create 23 new works in seven years. Commissioned composers include Pulitzer Prize winners and Grammy Award legacies.

And, while the magic of stage performance clearly runs in her veins, Stillman also dedicates herself to propelling the music industry forward on the scholastic front, too. She has taught master classes and performed recitals for universities and flute societies across the country while also serving on the faculty of the Curtis Institute of Music. Her thoughts on music and history have appeared in the Oxford Encyclopedia of the Modern World and The Flutist Quarterly. She even took time to write an award-winning book of Debussy arrangements, "Nuits d'Etoiles:8 Early Songs."

But, if your unfamiliar with the credentials she brings to the table, how about this? Stillman also finds herself a "first-degree connection" to Kevin Bacon, having recorded a film score for one of the famous actor's movies.

2. They have "symphony street cred"

The Dolce Suono Ensemble tours extensively and works with some of the brightest note-makers in music today. During its 2010-11 season, the ensemble premiered works by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Steven Stucky and Grammy Award winner Steven Mackey as part of its "Mahler 100/Schoenberg 60" project. The group also launched a partnership with the Domingo-Cafritz Program at the Washington National Opera at the invitation of the Placido Domingo.

As if that wouldn't keep most musicians busy enough, Dolce Suono also did five home concerts in Philadelphia, debuted at New York's Symphony Space and released two CDs.

3. It's budget-friendly enrichment

It always seems like the events that will be the most rewarding, from captivating documentaries to award-winning music that takes you out of your comfort zone, are always priced to exclude the parts of the public who begging for enrichment.

Not anymore. Most of the events, including next week's Dolce Suono concert, are completely free, making it easy to introduce yourself to music and ideas you may not already be familiar with.